A dusty scrap of paper discovers an ocean between the pages of a book in this beautiful short film, Much Better Now, from Salon Alpin. With a mishmash of techniques, the studio creates surprisingly fluid waves and the perfect tubular ride.

Sneak a peek behind the scenes of the labor-intensive project with the short making-of video below.

Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg joined The Atlantic in 2011 to launch its video channel and, in 2013, create its in-house video production department. She leads the development and production of original documentaries, interviews, and other video content for The Atlantic. Previously, she worked as a producer at Al Gore’s Current TV and as a content strategist and documentary producer in San Francisco. She studied filmmaking and digital media at Harvard University.